Coupler for jointed dolls



May 14, 1935. J. STEIN -COUPLER FOR JOINTED DOLLS Filed 061',- 8, 1932 In L Patented May 14, 1935 'lTED sTA'rEs Application October 8,

2 Claims The present invention is a rubber doll, and relates more particularly to an improved, coupler for joining the head, arms and legs to the body.

An object of the invention is the provision of a very simple and improved coupling means by which the arms, heads, and legs of a doll may be joined to the body thereof with ease and celerity.

Another object of the invention is the provision of coupling member for the arrns, legs or head of a hollow rubber jointed doll and which is'formed and constructed in such a manner as to very simply and economically provide a sound producing device, when adjacent parts of the doll are compressed.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention further resides in the sundry details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing which shows the preferred embodiment of the invention as at present devised;

Figure l is a perspective view of a hollow rubber doll simulating an infant, and made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the doll similar to Figure l, but showing the head, legs and arms disconnected from the body so as to illustrate the details of construction and the manner in which the parts may be assembled or disassembled;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the body portion of the doll body with parts broken away to illustrate the detailed construction of the joint between the leg or arm thereof;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through one of the coupling members used in joining the head, arms and legs to the body;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a modified form of coupling member which may be usedfor joining both of the arms and legs to the body, as illustrated in dotted lines.

Referring in detail to the drawing in which like characters denote corresponding and like parts throughout the several views, I0 is the hollow body of the doll made of compressible and resilient rubber. The arm ll, leg I2 and head I 3 of the doll are also preferably formed of hollow rubber, in any approved manner known to the art, and may take any desired shape'or position, but in the drawing, are shown those simulating the arms, legs, head and body of an infant.

The rubber wall forming the body In is provided at appropriate points thereof with concaved recesses or sockets M in which complemental con- 1932, Serial No. 636,889

vexed end portions l5 of the legs: and arms of the doll extend and fit. The bottoms of said sockets M are formed each with an opening I 6 communi- The convexed end portion l5 of the arms and I legs arealso formed with openings [9 extending coaxially therewith. I

The head I3 and the arms I! and the legs I? are joined to the body by either of the improved coupling means, shown in Figsni, or 5. This couplingv means may be of any suitable material, but pref erably consists of a block of rubber 2H cylindrical in cross-section and having one 'end provided with an enlarged head h shaped after the manner of a button and of larger diameter or width than that of the openings l6 and Ilia.

The shank portion of a coupling 20 is inserted in an opening IQ of an arm or leg or in the opening of the neck portion and is secured therein by adhesive, such as a rubber cement, or may be vulcanized therein, with the button end It spaced from the extremity of the arms, legs and neck portion sufiiciently, at least, to equal the thickness of the rubber stock at the openings I6 in the body and Him in the head. This button portion it may be inserted in the opening it of the body and the opening l6a, of the head, because of the stretchable or yielding character of the material forming the coupling member 20 and surrounding the openings It to lfia coupling member. When the parts have been properly assembled they will take the position shown in Figure 3, that is, with the convexed end l5 of the arms and legs and the neck portion l1 fitted in the sockets M and the button portion h of the coupling member lying adjacent the inner face of the body or head portions of the doll, with the shanks s of the coupling 20 extending through the openings I5 and lfia. This construction permits the arms and legs and head to move or swivel about the axis of their coupling members I6.

The coupling members 20 are further provided with a passage or bore 2| extending, preferably, longitudinal therethrough. One end of the bore is reduced or obstructed by a very thin film or layer of rubber 22 or other suitable material,

which is preferably perforated as at 23, or which is so positioned with respect to the bore as to form a reed. Thus, when the head portion, or body portion or the arm and leg portions of the doll are squeezed or compressed the air in the said compressed portion will be moved through the passage or passages 2| of a coupling member and cause the reed 22 to vibrate, thus producing a whistling or crying sound.

The coupling members as above stated are pref erably formed of molded rubber, and, in the molding operation, usually a very thin film is leftsat the end of the core forming the bore or passage 2 I, thus covering the end of the passage, and. by

merely perforating or slitting this film,-the,reed

or sounding producing element 22 is provided. However, if such film is not so'produced, the reed 22 may be provided by placing across the passage 2 a thin layer of rubber or other thin tissue material or any other desired material in any approved or desired manner. i

In Fig. 5, is shown a modified term of the cou-- pling member 24 and differs from the coupling member'20 only in that it is made of greater of being embodied in other forms; and it is to be understood that in and by the claims following the description herein it is intended to cover the invention in whatever form it may embody within the scope thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a joint connection for jointed hollow rubber dolls, the combination with the body and limbs of the doll, said body having concaved sockets therein and the limbs having complemental projecting end portions to fitin said sockets, said sockets each having an opening in the bottom and extending through the wall thereof and said end portions of the limbs having coaxial openings therein, of a coupling member joining said limbs and body together and comprising a shank of rubher having one end fixedly secured in an opening of one of said limbs and extending through the openings in opposite sockets and the opening in the end portion of an opposite limb, said shank being rotatable" in said last mentioned opening, and an enlarged rubber head on the other end of said'shanklarger than said last openingfwhereby'the elements of'the doll are movably jointed together.

2. In a joint connection for jointed rubber dolls, a rubber coupling member forjointedly connecting together hollow compressible body parts of a doll'a'nd being-formed with a passage therethrou'gh and a thinfilm' of rubber across said passage, said film of 'rubber'being' ruptured to perm it passage" of air therethrough, whereby said filmmay vibrate to producesound when said rubher body parts are compressed.

JACOB SVTEIN. 

